*Veterans Corp. of America won a potential $200 million contract from the General Services Administration to provide type and non-type classified commercial off-the- shelf equipment that directly detects, identifies, monitors and protects individuals from the effects of CBRNE contamination and enhances their capability to detect, identify and mitigate CBRNE events. The equipment will be provided to Defense and Homeland Security Department specialized units and first responders. Veterans Corp. is a small business.
*Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin tells a Senate panel that the cost to deploy radiation detection and X-Ray inspection systems at the more than 2,100 shipping lanes located at the more than 700 ports globally that ship to the U.S. would be about $8 million per lane. That high cost, combined with deficiencies in the X-Ray technology, in particular the lack of automated threat detection software, and a slew of other issues at overseas ports “are all prohibitive challenges” for the Department of Homeland Security to meet the congressionally-mandated 2012 deadline requiring 100 percent of seagoing container cargo be scanned for threats prior to departure for the U.S., he says. While DHS has already said that it would not meet the 2012 deadline, Bersin’s comments are interesting because of the costs associated with purchasing and installing the scanning equipment, which according to him is around $17 billion, excluding operational costs.
*The Transportation Security Administration has awarded K4 Solutions, Inc., a woman-owned small business, a $14.5 million contract to staff, operate, manage and maintain its TSA Contact Center (TCC), which is the primary incoming portal from the public and receives inquiries from agency employees, private industry and other government organizations. Systems Integrations, Inc., previously held the TCC contract (TR2, Nov. 11, 2009).
Accenture [ACN] received a $1.5 million contract from Customs and Border Protection for professional support services for the agency’s Facilities Management and Engineering Division. The contract was made using Recovery Act funds and will entail Accenture assisting government employees in the collection of data and preparation of reports related to Recovery Act-related reporting.